A STREET drinking ban comes into force in the Ribble Valley next month.

Police will be able to stop people drinking or carrying bottles and glasses on the streets of Clitheroe, Longridge and Whalley.

The ban will coincide with the switch-on of Clitheroe and Whalley's £600,000 CCTV scheme, which is currently being installed.

It gives the police powers to stop people drinking in public and confiscate bottles and glasses and arrest anyone refusing to co-operate.

Sgt Ian Kirk of Clitheroe Police said the aim of the ban was to make the streets of Ribble Valley towns and villages safer.

"We don't have a massive problem, but as usual the minority spoils things for the majority. Our main concern is people walking from pub to pub with glasses and bottles, smashing glass and creating a nuisance.

"Similar bans have proved successful elsewhere in East Lancashire and we feel sure the ban will be a success in the Ribble Valley."

Under the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, councils have the power to impose no-drinking zones in areas where it is expected to lead to a reduction in crime.

It became a criminal offence to drink in the town centre streets of Blackburn and Accrington in March this year.

Some people on Blackburn's Boulevard ignored the warnings and police launched a clampdown after reports of them verbally abusing passers-by

And drunken yobs were given the red card in Burnley when alcohol was banned in the roads leading to Turf Moor in a bid to crack down on street fighting.

The Ribble Valley branch of the Licensed Victuallers' Association has given a guarded welcome to the move and said a small minority of people had been causing problems.

Chairman Peter Hodgkinson said: "Any initiative that aims to reduce on-street crime is to be welcomed. A minority of people carrying glasses and bottles on the street cause problems, and many of the town centre public houses have operated a no-glass rule outside their premises for several years."

John Houldsworth, chairman of the Clitheroe Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said his members also welcomed the ban.

"Some shopkeepers have had to sweep up broken glass from outside their premises in the mornings and we support the ban wholeheartedly. It is for the benefit of everyone," he said.

The 15-week installation of CCTV in the Ribble Valley, which will see 24 closed circuit television cameras erected at various sites in the centres of Clitheroe and Whalley, as well as the grounds of Clitheroe Castle, is also due for completion by December.

Chief Insp Steven Gregson said: "We have no comparative statistics as yet, but every indication is that the bans are proving successful and people are taking on board the ethos of not drinking in the streets and helping to create safer nights out for all."